Shadow Dreaming
by Fireflyleo
Summary: "I've been having these dreams lately, and they're tearing me apart." It's impossible to run when the person you're running from knows your every thought, word, and breath?
1. I Want to Play a Game

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, and I am not making any money off of this piece.

**Important Author's Note:** The story is set post-series in the manga verse. If you have not read the manga just know that Yusuke opens a ramen stand where he does demon/spiritual investigation as his main business. Yukina is living as a kind of "homestay" in the Kuwabara residence.

**Shadow Dreaming**

I Want to Play a Game

Things were always relatively easy-going at the ramen stand/ investigations office. Keiko and Yusuke (if he wasn't off on a case) would fall into a gentle banter. Kurama and Kuwabara might go over some school work for Kuwabara's benefit. Yukina and Shizuru would gossip about whatever came to their minds. Sometimes Kuwabara would fawn over Yukina. Other times Yusuke would pick a fight with Kuwabara only to have Keiko slap him across the face. And sometimes Kurama would deliver to them all greeting from Hiei and news from the Makai. And always, always, always the subject of general conversation would float over to the little fire demon no one, save Kurama, had seen in the last three years since Yusuke's return to ningenkai. But speaking of the devil doesn't always summon him forth.

That is until today.

Everything had been going as usual. Yusuke and Kuwabara were locked in a small brawl, Kuwabara winning for once, though that wouldn't be for long. Kurama and Keiko were having a small conversation. Yukina was overseeing the fight making sure Kuwabara didn't get too hurt, and Shizuru was calmly smoking a cigarette listening in on Keiko and Kurama's conversation but mostly reading through a magazine.

Escaping from a headlock, Yusuke dove into the taller male's chest, laying him out flat and knocking the wind out of him. He hit his head pretty hard against the concrete, too, and it wasn't helping that the Mazuko was now lounging on his chest in triumph.

"Damn it, Urameshi, get off me."

Kuwabara sputtered and coughed his way into a sitting position forcing Yusuke roll off. An apologetic look on his face, the brunette held out a hand to assist his human counterpart to his feet. Everyone laughed at the face Kuwabara pulled looking at Yusuke's hand before actually taking it.

"Sorry about that, Kuwa. I forget my own strength sometimes," he laughs pulling him up.

"Hn, you would be the one to kill someone by accident without not thinking, detective."

Everyone instantly quieted, looking around to find the owner of a voice they hadn't heard in a coo's age. And there he was, same old Hiei – black cloak, spiked hair, white bandana, his hands shoved in his pockets

"Hiei-san!"

Yukina actually shouted in joy before rushing to greet the man she would always look up to as a brother. (A/N: she still doesn't know Hiei is her real brother.) She enveloped him in a quick hug, much to his expressed surprise. Everyone else was quick to follow her lead, granted not everyone hugged the fire demon.

"Hey, shorty's not so short anymore," came the clever deduction of Kuwabara.

"Hn, good observation, oaf."

And it was true. Where Hiei used to be a good foot underneath Yusuke's height, he now only stood an inch or two shorter than the brunette; it still left a vast difference in height between him and Kuwabara, but it was the only real noticeable change in Hiei's appearance. Though if one looked close enough, you would realize the slight change in the angle of his eyes and the bridge of his nose and that his face was just a tad narrower, longer. (If you've ever seen the Eizou Hakusho episodes, I'm talking about the way he looking when he talks to Yukina.) Subtle things like that.

After greetings were exchanged, they settled back into idle conversation, Yusuke taking off to service some actual customers, a somber-looking wife and strained husband. They weren't here to eat, so he took them to the back room where he did his unofficial business, asking Keiko to mind the front for a while. The siblings Kuwabara and Yukina settled into a quiet discussion, something about their dad's recent affairs, leaving the two remaining demons a chance to converse.

"So Hiei, what brings you to human world?"

Crimson eyes lock with emerald before tracing over two of the other four occupants in the stand. Kurama raised an eyebrow at the scoping glance.

"I came to look after some affairs."

"Oh, and which would those be?"

Hiei gives him a condescending look.

"Just is a recent development of interest in light of my reached adulthood."

"So you're finally out of puberty, eh." Kurama chuckles. "You fire demons take so long to mature. So how old are you now."

"A hundred even, fox. And we are not slow on the uptake, we just take our time."

"Mmm."

Yusuke and his clients re-entered the front of the stand. The gentleman was speaking.

"Thank you so much for your help. We didn't know where else to go."

"Nah, you can thank me after the case is solved. Until then, have a good night, and I'll see you in the morning."

The wife bows as her husband shakes the Mazoku's hand before they both walk back away from the lounging group and into their car to head home.

"Finally, a good case!" shouts out Yusuke slamming a hand down on the counter right next to his girlfriend, snaking a hand around her waist pulling her close. Keiko jumps slightly, having been minding her own business cleaning a glass. She clinks said glass on his forehead.

"Why, what is it?" asks Kuwabara. Everyone, save Shizuru and Hiei, appears to be listening attentively. It's been a while since Yusuke seemed excited for a case from a human.

"Well it's kinda sad really, but their daughter was kidnapped two nights ago, and they haven't heard word of her since."

"That's terrible," gasps Keiko. "Why haven't they taken it to the police?"

"See that's the problem, they have. The cops don't recognize the case as a kidnapping. I told them my _team_ would be on it immediately."

"Just what exactly do you mean by team, detective? I was under the impression you worked solo."

The Mazoku grins at the jaganshi, tracing his large brown eyes over the two red-heads.

"Well seeing as this is a kidnapping and all, Kuwabara do you think you could come with me on this one? I could use your spirit awareness to find the kid faster."

"Tch, yeah right. Last time I did that, you tried to use me as bait."

"YUSUKE!"

You could see steam rising from the top of Keiko's head as Yusuke cowers behind Kuwabara away from the outrage of his girlfriend. Said red-head simply crosses his arms prepared to dodge away from Keiko's swinging if the situation called for it.

Hiei chuckled at the display.

"What, I needed someone who smelt human to lure in the demon, and besides Kuwabara can take care of himself when it comes to these things, and I was there anyway. He was never in any danger."

"You could have at least told me what I was there for."

"Yeah, but then you wouldn't have done it." Yusuke pulls his trade-mark shit-eating grin. "But really I could use your help on this one. And…" Yusuke looks over to Kurama and Hiei and back to Kuwabara. "…seeing as this is the first time we've been all together since the Sensui case closed, why don't we all work on this one? It'll be just like old times."

"Hmm, that might actually be fun," mutters Kuwabara placing a finger under his chin.

"Hehe, I don't see why not. I could use a little bit of a side track from normal life." Kurama inclines his head towards Hiei, who is currently glaring at the ex-detective. "What do you think, Hiei?"

He scowls.

"I came here for a vacation, not to work another idiot job concerning humans."

Yusuke looks to be pouting at him.

"Ah, come on, Hiei. It would be pointless if you weren't there."

He sighs.

"As if I have nothing else to do with my time. Why not?"

"Sweet," exclaims Yusuke. "It's settled then. Let's all meet back here at nine tomorrow morning to get started."

"Do you have to pick an early time, Urameshi? I wake up early every day."

"Oh, don't be such a lazy-ass, baby bro," and he's promptly smacked upside the head with his sister's magazine. Laughter ensues.

1234

Around ten o'clock, about an hour later, Shizuru and Yukina had already gone home to the Kuwabara residence. Kurama had also left. Kuwabara was briefing through one of his school books, seemingly unaware of the eyes watching him from the far side of the stand. Hiei was sneaking glances across the bar while he sampled one of Yusuke's meals. It wasn't all that bad. Who'd have thought the demon-sleeper was actually a decent chef.

"How do you like my cooking, Hiei?"

"Hn, I suppose it's a good thing I haven't dropped dead yet."

"Haha. Glad you like it."

A rustle of paper, indicating Kuwabara was putting up his stuff, drew the two demons' attention. His bag on his shoulder, the human rises, throwing some money on the counter for the coffee he'd been drinking.  
"Later, Urameshi, Hiei."

"See ya, Kuwa. Take it easy man."

A tilt of the head from the carrot-top and he turned to leave, ready to walk home. Hiei watched the retreating human until he turned the nearby corner, facing forward again to find Yusuke arching an eyebrow at him. Keiko on the far side was looking at him with her analyzing expression, like she was putting together some puzzle.

"What?"

"What exactly was that second affair you came to settle?"

The shorter demon, rose from his seat, throwing some Makai coins on the table to pay.

"Hn, wouldn't you like to know."

And he disappeared, leaving the couple alone to exchange questioning looks.

1234

The city was alive with noise. Car horns honking every few seconds, building lights flickering on and off from homes and business buildings, and depending on where you were, loud music pulsed as the anthem for the Japan night life. A chaotic cacophony of sound and visual stimulant. A symphony orchestra of metal, electricity, and burnt rubber. The siren of a police car drew the attention of a lone college student walking home from meeting his friends. The sound permeating his ear-drums on a level high enough to rival a Megallica concert.

Kuwabara loved it.

Walking the streets of the city, you were never alone. It was usually comforting, but tonight, something was tugging on his psyche. He felt like he was being watched, and he had a vague idea about who was doing the watching with no way of broaching the little demon's attention. He started looking around trying to locate the general position of the demon with no lucky.

In fact, so engrossed he was in looking, he almost tripped over the very thing he was looking for.

"Whoa, Hiei, I didn't see you there! Sorry."

"Still haven't learned to walk, oaf."

"Well maybe is you were a few more inches taller, it wouldn't have been a problem."

"Hn, fool."

"Shrimp."

"Baka ningen."

"Three-eyed freak."

And so they bickered, on and on just like old times before falling into a comfortable, if not suspicious on Kuwabara's side, silence until they reached the Kuwabara residence. The darkened windows and drawn curtains of the suburban neighborhood giving an impression of stillness compared to the rest of the city.

"Yukina and Shizuru must've already gone to bed."

"Hn."

"Is there a reason why you followed me home, Shrimp?"

"None that you'd be interested in hearing."

Kuwabara scoffed never noticing Hiei's smirk behind the human's back, silent.

"Hiei….Oof."

The red-head found himself sprawled across his own front lawn, a fire demon sitting comfortably across his chest.

"What the heck-"

"I want to play a game, fool."

"What? Hiei, get off me-"

He found his lips aggressively placed under arrest in a short but searing kiss.

"What?"

"You'll understand soon enough."

And he flitted away into the night.

1234

Kuwabara was confused. Lying awake in bed, contemplating the events of the evening.

"What the hell is going on?" he thought before drifting off to sleep.

Dream

_Kuwabara was running._

_ He couldn't see his pursuer, couldn't even hear them; all he knew was the sense of dread festering in his stomach and the raw fear pumping adrenaline through his veins. The forest around him blurring into never-ending streaks of black, green, and brown, as unfamiliar as it was, provided a sense of security. Find a place to hide, and he'd be safe, he thought. However false that theory may have been, it brought comfort. The moon overhead was full and as large and round as he'd ever seen it. Eerie as it was painted in a deep purple. Something seemed off about the violet of that moon. Something familiar, something dangerous._

_ A shadow flits over his head, knocking him to the ground with a grunt._

_ Stumbling to his feet he takes off again this time in a completely different direction away from whatever just knocked him flat. The muscles of his legs throb with disdain at the exertion. His lungs protest the abuse forcing him to gulp for a sufficient amount of air. But it's not enough._

_ He falls._

_ Downhill he goes, plunging through the dense brush as gravity takes its toll on his body. He barrels head first through the brush and thicket. It hurts._

_ He lands flat on his back, eyes closed and chest heaving._

_ "Baka ningen. You didn't honestly think you could outrun me, did you?"_

_ Kuwabara opens his eyes. A pair of boot clad feet stand on either side of his head connected to a long black cloak. A very sharp katana shines pale blue in the moonlight. He looks up into the eyes of his stalker, his hunter._

_ "Hiei…"_

_ "About time you realized it was me."_

_ The jaganshi in question steps around the red-head's body before hovering over Kuwabara's torso, one foot planted on either side of his waist. The blade of Hiei's weapon rests over his belt buckle momentarily before slicing through the leather. Kuwabara gulps._

_ "What do you want, Shrimp?" _

_ "Hehehe, don't you worry, Kuwabara. You'll find out soon enough."_

_ Another flick of the katana and the top button on his pants comes flying off. The blade slips under his shirt and Hiei slices straight through the front of his blouse._

_ "Ahh… Hiei, what the fuck!"_

_ "Shut up, fool."_

_ The demon drops down to his knees, straddling the human's midsection. Katana still in hand, he leans over Kuwabara placing both hands on either side of his prey's head, the sword laying flat, framing the now loose orange curls._

_ He panics._

_ "Hiei, I don't know what you're trying to prove, but this isn't funny! Let me up!"_

_ Hiei clamps a hand forcefully over Kuwabara's mouth, laughing._

_ "Too late, baka. You're playing the game now."_

_ With that, he dug his teeth deep into Kuwabara's collarbone._

End Dream Sequence

"Ahhhh!"

Kuwabara woke up in the confinement of his room, terrified out of his mind and drenched in a cold sweat. Breathing hard, he takes in his surroundings. His school books are stacked messily on his desk. Eikichi is asleep on the edge of the bed curled up in a ball. The posters around the room all in their proper place. There's a rumple in the carpet and a stray sneaker in the center of the room. The window is closed, curtains drawn blocking out the growing sunlight outside. Everything was as it should be, in perfect disarray.

"What the hell was that?" Kuwabara breathed out under his breath.

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Kazu… What are you doing, Kazuma?" Shizuru poked her head into the room before opening the door completely and entering, walking toward the bed where her little brother still lay confined.

"Oh, nothing sis. Just woke up is all."

"Nothing is it? Really," she said dryly. "Then I guess I nearly had a heart attack for no reason."

His older sister, plopped herself down on the edge of the bed, giving him a stern look.

"You didn't have another wet dream did you?"

Kuwabara's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Never in my life have I ever…" Kuwabara proceeds into a fit of sputtering noises while Shizuru laughs beside him at his reaction to her joke before the carrot-top settles into a pout at his sister's lewd sense of humor. "I just had a nightmare, okay."

"What about?"

Kuwabara crossed his arms stubbornly.

"I don't remember."

"What? Don't feel like sharing."

"Oh, get out of my room, Shizu."

She laughs standing up.

"Alright little bro." She pulls out a cigarette and her lighter (or should I say Sakyo's lighter) on her way out the door. "But really, you shouldn't let Hiei get to you that much."

"What the… How did you…"

"You're not the only psychic in the house, Kazuma. Never forget that. Now get ready for school." With that she closes the door and heads to her own room, probably heading back to bed. Kuwabara threw the sheets off his body and got ready to meet Yusuke and the others at the stand.

TBC

Please review.


	2. Quite a Team You Two Make

**Author's Note – **Thank you to those of you who reviewed. I got some very nice comments, but I would love to hear some more. I do really well when I have feedback, so please review everyone.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. The only way I make money nowadays is by doing meager tasks around the house not by writing this fic.

**Shadow Dreaming**

**You Two Would Make Quite a Pair**

"Why do I feel like I was denied a crucial piece of information?"

Yusuke was beyond pissed. Apparently when the couple enlisting his help had come down to the ramen stand, they had failed to mention one rather small problem. Said problem was currently throwing anything and everything it could get its grubby little hands on at the four retreating men. Well three retreating, Kurama was hiding behind a door for the moment.

"Urameshi, I swear this is the last time I help you do anything," yelled Kuwabara as a tea cup flew right over his head. Not a second later a flustered Kurama came barreling into his chest having just dodged a jewelry box of some kind. Talk about a tackle.

"Can somebody just grab it? Hiei get her."

The jaganshi growled before throwing himself at their assailant, successfully knocking the little thing over. It screamed like a banshee in the demon's arms. Hiei growled at the beast.

"Make it stop."

Kurama ran forward pushing a seed into the creature's mouth. Its cries quieted and it fell into a fitful sleep. All four boys heaved a much deserved sigh of relief.

"What the hell. No wonder the parents took off after letting us in. Wanted to let us gather evidence in peace, my ass. What the hell is that thing?"

The "thing" in question was of a shape similar to a normal human toddler just slightly bigger and its skin color was a very pale green. You might call it a "she," but you really couldn't tell its gender just by looking at it. Definitely not human, the little mongrel possessed a demon child's strength, slit pupils, and a scream that could make your ear drums bleed.

Kuwabara took one look at the little monster before turning away running a hand through his hair. He had just taken a test in folklore over this shit (which he passed with flying colors). He believed it was question number 28 that pertained to the subject at hand.

"A fucking Changling! No wonder the police rejected the case."

"What the hell type of demon is a changeling?"

"It's a different type of demon, thankfully non-violent. Demon parents leave their own child in the place of another couple's infant taking the procured baby as their own," Kurama explained. "The demon child gains sustenance, nurturing, and the benefit of another upbringing causing general havoc along the way, while the stolen baby is often brought up to be a slave. The afflicted family is often human, and these types of stories often end in tragedy."

"Enki is not going to be pleased when he hears about this."

"You're probably right about that."

"What are we supposed to do?" Kuwabara looked down at the imposter child at Hiei's feet, a look of mild fear and repulsion on his face

"Well we can either track down the real parents or make the child call them."

"Call them?"

Kurama shifts he gaze over to Hiei to answer the inquiry.

"If we can make it laugh, the parents will come and claim it."

"Sounds like a plan," laughs Kuwabara clapping a fist to the opposite palm. "I have the best joke on the planet."

"Considering you are a big joke, that's not hard to believe."

"Watch it, Hamster Legs."

"Buffoon."

Kurama shushed Kuwabara before he could retort.

"Don't start you too besides simple jokes won't work on it. This thing is at least a century old will a poor sense of humor. It could take hours to make it laugh."

Yusuke sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets, a determined look on his face.

"Why not do both?"

Three questioning looks were sent in his direction. One of which was very much annoyed (A cookie if you can guess who).

"We can split up. Two of us will look for the parents; the other two can stay here and try and make the damn thing laugh. How bout Kurama and I stay here, and Hiei and Kuwabara can go tracking."

"Wait, why do I have to go with the shrimp?"

Hiei snickered watching the human fidget ever so slightly, the most subtle of blushes marring his pale skin. Kuwabara had said hardly a word to him all morning, and he had taken extra precaution to stay at least three feet away from the demon at all times. Hiei couldn't help but find the nervousness of his prey amusing. The oaf had good reason to be wary of him, and Yusuke and Kurama didn't have a clue. Well, Kurama might have, but it was highly doubtful. Hell, he didn't even think Kuwabara understood just what kind of situation he was finding himself in.

"Oh, get over yourself, Kuwa." He pouted at Yusuke.

"Think about it, Kuwabara. Between your spirit awareness and Hiei's Jagan you two could make quite a pair."

Well, you can't argue with Kurama's logic.

1234

'I cannot believe this.'

It was hot and humid and generally uncomfortable. Before leaving the others, Kuwabara got an energy scan on the kid which they were now tracking. Yusuke and Kurama were having no luck getting the changeling to laugh. You can only imagine the crap they were pulling back at the house. The last time Kuwabara had checked the communicator, Yusuke had been unconscious on the floor with a pile of baby books on top of him and Kurama had a baseball bat in hand.

"It smiled when Yusuke hit himself on something, so we thought we'd take that angle."

Yeah, seriously. Long story short, Hiei and Kuwabara actually agreed that they needed to find the demons fast before one of their teammates killed the other. A round of bickering came after, but they had fallen into a strained silence.

That had been two hours ago, and Hiei was starting to get increasingly impatient.

"You know, things would go a lot quicker if you'd just give me a sample of the energy you picked up."

"And just how am I supposed to do that?"

He turned around to find himself staring straight into the jagan.

"Whoa, careful with that thing."

"No, you fool. Let me into your head, so I can get the energy print."

Kuwabara took a few steps backwards.

"I don't know. I'd rather not."

"Do you want to get this over with or not?"

"Well, yeah." He shook his head. "Why are you even asking? Can't just get in whenever the hell you want?"

"Not when you're conscious, idiot. Your psychic abilities block me." He smirked. "You're simply too thick-headed."

"Gee thanks. Too bad for you then."

He turned around and started walking away in the direction he was heading before. That is until a fuming demon decided to push him to the ground face first. A boot dug itself into the middle of his back keeping him flat on his stomach.

"Argg! Teme, what the hell was that for?"

"Just shut up will you," snarled the demon as he pressed a hand to the back of Kuwabara's head. The red head stiffened as an intense heat settle over his body. He suddenly felt a prodding at his mental barriers, and he immediately reinforced them trying to push Hiei back.

"Relax…" cooed the demon taking a kneeling position next to the man's side while keeping pressure on the teenager's head to keep him from moving.

Kuwabara was about to snap back at the male holding him down when the energy tracing his body shifted. The heat in his body started to vibrate and sizzle. It coursed over the muscles of his back and down his legs like a warm massage. The energy seemed to sink into his body, pulsing and vibrating, becoming part of his physical form. It was highly erotic, like warm oil being rubbed into his skin. His eyes slid shut reluctantly exhaling a sigh of content.

The probing in his head ceased as his barriers fell and Hiei's consciousness slipped right in. Fire burned through his mind. He could feel Hiei panicking through their current link. He withdrew from the human's mind before the jagan could cause any serious damage, but the pain lingered, and Kuwabara blacked out.

1234

"Wake up, human!"

One more slap across the face ought to do it.

SMACK

"Gahh…" Kuwabara begins to stutter and cough, much to Hiei's amusement.

"Finally. I didn't expect you to black out."

He pulls himself into a sitting position, rubbing his head. He could already feel the migraine coming on.

"What the hell happened?"

"Despite the fact that I tried relaxing your body beforehand, your psychic energy rejected the advances of my jagan. The pain made you pass out, and I wasn't able to accomplish what I was hoping to."

Kuwabara looked at Hiei for the first time since waking up. He was about to yell at the demon for trying to force his way into his mind like that but paused before even opening his mouth at the sight of the Jaganshi. For one, Hiei looked legitimately worried, and secondly, there were remnants of several blood trails smeared along the sides of his face up leading up to where his jagan lay covered by his bandana.

Kuwabara smirked.

"I guess, I got you back already, eh."

Hiei's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Hn," he grunted before standing up. "Get your ass of the ground, idiot, we still have to take care of this case. That is of course if the foolish detective and damned kitsune haven't already killed each other."

"Fine, fine, keep your pants on."

"How bout I rip yours off if you don't get your ass off the ground!" Hiei smirked practically being able to feel the heat off the human's skin as he blushed. "Hurry up."

"Why you little-"

Kuwabara cuts himself off as he feels an energy they'd been tracking since they left the others.

"Look, darling, another couple."

'Couple?'

Hiei and Kuwabara glanced at each other.

"Oh, dear, they aren't a couple. One of them is human. He must be the demon's slave. How wonderful."

Kuwabara's fisted clenched as the demon pair came into view. They were tall, lanky creatures with the same green-tinted skin of their baby. They were a beautiful pair, in a gothic sort of sense with their long black hair, dark clothing, and equally dark facial paint. In the female's arms squirmed the human baby in a mini-tantrum. The baby girl was obviously not happy about its current company.

"Why I ought to bash your-"

"Silence, Kuwabara. Let me handle this."

"Humph."

"Not very obedient, is he?" the female laughs across the clearing to Hiei. "It's better to train them while they are young like this one is. Isn't that right, my pet?" She cooed at the infant bouncing her up and down in her arms.

"You should return that human baby to its rightful parents. Your own baby is quite unhappy with her current situation. I doubt the humans will wait much longer before they abandon her."

The male looked over at his mate with the child in her arms.

"My dear, that is a concern, but it would be such a shame to lose the profit this little one will bring us, don't you agree, dear." The demoness nodded a smile on her face as she looked over to where Kuwabara was standing. "Perhaps we can find our profit someplace else. That human does look quite strong."

Kuwabara's eyes widen considerably as the demon opened his jaws wide to reveal a row of razor sharp fangs. The saliva dripping from its dentures hit the ground with a soft sizzle.

'Poison.'

"Kuwabara, Move!"

The demon lunged at the human toppling them both to ground in a wrestling match, teeth gnashing in the direction of the red-head's throat. The teeth enclosed around his arm, and time froze for Kazuma. Saliva flew everywhere creating burns in Kuwabara's skin and clothing before the psychic summoned his weapon ramming it directly into the open mouth of his attacker like a bit. It kept the demon back just long enough for Hiei to run forward and place a boot into the demon's side. The poor creature landed with a grunt on the far side of the clearing and doubled over in pain until a rather sharp blade pressed itself to its neck.

"I never said you could have my human."

He heard Kuwabara bristle behind him.

"Hush, human."

"Forgive me, Lord Hiei. I must not have been thinking clearly."

"Of course you weren't." He tightened his grip on the demon's neck. "This is your final warning. Return the child, and get out of town. If I ever see you again, you'll wish you'd never been born."

A thin line of crimson appeared just over his jugular.

"Uh, honey. Let's get going."

The slave-trader scrambled out of Hiei's grip over toward his stunned wife. He grabbed the baby from her and took her hand ready to lead the woman away from the psychotic fire demon until Hiei's voice sounded again in a command. She simply pushed him away.

"Why don't you go get our, little Grendel? I'll wait here."

The male sighed before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

"Give me the cure for the poison you just put in my human."

"The poison isn't lethal," the woman called. Her husband was nursing his wounds over to the side. Quite the pathetic sight if you asked me. "It will just make him really tired. He just needs to sleep it off."

**COUGH, COUGH, COUGH**

Hiei turned his attention to the human currently trying to cough up a lung. One hand at the youth's lower back and the other on his chest, the demon lifted the human's upper body off the ground to evaluate his wound. Or at least that was his plan until Kuwabara rough pushed him away with his forearm. The oaf fell flat on the ground while Hiei growled.

"Stay away, runt. I can take care of myself."

"Idiot."

"Shrimp."

"How unoriginal of you, baka."

"You're really one to talk, Hiei."

The demoness chuckled at their antics. She took a moment to glance between the jaganshi and the human a smile on her face.

"A human and a demon, eh. You could make quite the pair."

She pulled a vile from the inside of her cloak and tossed it to the jaganshi. Catching it with ease, he inspected it in his palm. It was a small vile, no bigger than his thumb. The clear liquid inside swished and swirled with the gentle force of his movement. Upon sniffing the substance, Hiei deemed it non-toxic and looked to the demoness for an explaination.

"It will help him sleep. I imagine he's in a bit of pain."

"Hardly."

"Shut it, oaf, and drink up."

He tilted the boy's head back and poured the liquid in forcing Kuwabara to swallow. He sputtered a bit, but it stayed down.

"That was the nastiest medicine I've ever tasted," he murmured falling into a rejuvenating sleep. Hiei looked from the now slumbering oaf to the demon still in his presence and nodded his head. She bowed her head a bit before walking a ways off to wait for her husband and child to return.

**Beep, Beep, Beep**

He dug quickly through Kuwabara's pockets, finding the communicator and flipping the little device open.

"Detective…"

"Hiei… Where's Kuwabara?"

"Sleeping off the results of his latest stupidty. What's happened?"

"Well, mission accomplished. A demon came by with the baby, took his own brat and left the human kid here. You two found the demons I'm guessing."

Hiei nodded.

"Sweet. Do you think you could tell Kuwabara that I want to talk to him later?"

"I'll wait until the oaf wakes up and send him to you."

"Thanks man. Take it easy, and keep an eye on the old lug, will you?"

He raised an eyebrow at the screen. Who did Yusuke think he was talking to?

He looked over at the sleeping human, and uncharacteristically sighed. He would be out for a while.

1234

_Blind._

_ Something covered his eyes._

_Sweat._

_ It drenched his torso, soaking into the sheets underneath him strong body._

_ Pain._

_ It burned like an after-thought at the back of his mind, sending a tingling sensation through his fingertips. The ropes cutting into his wrists were bloodied and irritating his skin._

_Pleasure._

_ It coursed over every muscle of him body, attacking his insides and tightening a winding coil in the pit of his stomach. The euphoria stems from his nerves seeping out from his skin to be lapped up by the hard body moving over him. He was being pumped and ravished to within an inch of his life, and it feels oh so good._

_ Nails scrap down his chest closely followed by a hot mouth. Pointed fangs nibble at a nipple, teasing the small bud into full attention before venturing further down. A pair of clawed hands gripped his hips in a vise-grip ramming him repeatedly onto his bedmate's splendid manhood._

_ "Scream my name, Kazuma. Scream for me."_

_ The lips by his ear traversed over the long line of his neck travelling down to the junction between throat and shoulder. The shadow's tongue flicked out, a warm, moist appendage, tasting the skin before teeth clamped over the area. Hard._

_ "Hiei!"_

_ And fire lit up his senses._

End Dream Sequence

He woke to the sound of a fire crackling with a small gasp. The heat on his skin was insanely uncomfortable, well over the level of a fever, from the dream he had just woken up from. His body felt strangely sore, no doubt from lying on the ground for so long, but he was okay for the most part, aside from a headache coming on fast. He thanked any god that was would listen that the sun had set (probably a while ago). He didn't think his eyes would be able to handle such a force bearing down on his prone form.

Hiei was currently sharpening his katana using the fire to heat and harden the blade to a pristine glow while keeping a close eye over the formerly unconscious red-head. He glanced away from his chore as Kuwabara pulled himself into a sitting position. The human was, as of yet, totally unaware of his presence and seemed to be evaluating his environment. He slid the buffing stone in his hand roughly across the steel, smirking at Kuwabara's wince to the metallic sound.

Kuwabara physically jumped at the sight of Hiei sitting on the far side of the fire. The jaganshi seemed to be minding his own business, but the human couldn't help feeling a bit of apprehension toward the demon. That dream was positively inappropriate. If Hiei ever found out the crap he'd been dreaming about, he was pretty sure he would lose something important if not his life.

'Best to act natural,' he thought before addressing his teammate.

"How long have I been out?"

"Nearly five hours." He looks down, running the tip of his finger over the blade. "The demons returned the human child and taken back their own, and Kurama and Yusuke are recuperating from their little devil's abuse."

The demon rose from his seat and put out the fire. Kuwabara shakily stood, feeling weak from both having not eaten all day and not moving for so long. Quite obvious to him that the demon was only lingering to make sure the human woke up, Kuwabara tried to make a good show of being able to take care of himself. Hiei was more than ready to take off. He was hungry after all.

"Yusuke wants to talk to you before you head home."

Watching Hiei move, Kuwabara noticed that the demon's energy signature was off. It was depleted. Like he had just released a Black Dragon Wave or been using his jagan.

"Um, Hiei…"

"What?"

He decided to avoid his own question.

"Can we not have a repeat of today's incident?" he asked referring to the earlier jagan vs. human psychic energy drama.

Hiei looked at him, a bland expression on his face before turning away to walk down the path. Kuwabara could've sworn the demon's crimson gaze looked different, but he couldn't quite pin what was swimming into that fiery gaze.

"Hn, you're not the only one suffering from a headache, human."

That's it. Hiei was tired, too.

Oh the walk home was going to be a long one.

TBC

Please Review


	3. Sleepless Nights

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Don't sue me…

**WARNING****! – **This chapter contains explicit sexual contact between two males. If you are uncomfortable with the aforementioned topic turn back now. I accept flames. I do not accept stupidity. This is a yaoi fanfiction; don't come to me bitching and moaning about how gross yaoi is. Now that we understand each other…

Enjoy

~*~ indicated the start of a dream sequence.

Shadow Dreaming

Sleepless Nights

The first night after the changling mission with Urameshi, Kuwabara didn't realize he was dreaming until he woke to the sound of his own screaming voice.

Friction…

Hot delicious friction…

Pleasure coursed through his body, tingling through his fingertips and toes as his body was pumped and stroked at maddening intervals. A burning mouth passed over his nipple taking a moment to bite down and nibble the newly hardened nub. A sharp tongue traced the areola before that sinful cavity moved up to his neck all the while a pair of clawed hands dug into my hips with a maddening ferocity driving my whole body up and down over his sitting form with a surprising amount of ease. His breath came in sharp gasps taken perfectly in time with the man's movements.

The sharp slapping sound of their thighs clashing upon each thrust filled his ears resounding into the very core of his body. His body, jarred with each of their movements, felt like it couldn't coil any tighter. His muscles flexing and contracting in resistance to the frantic pace of the male controlling him. Teeth, sharp and - oh so - lethal, found purchase on his shoulder digging in deep and drawing blood and smearing a path up to his sensitive earlobe.

"Say my name, Kazuma."

He could only gasp in response the smoldering of those blood red eyes.

The demon's claws dug deep into his hips forcing himself in deeper and harder than humanly possible. His fangs sank into his flesh again, this time just over his pectoral muscle. The younger male let out a fairly loud yell in response to the rough treatment.

"Say it, Kuwabara."

"Ahh. Haa."

A hand on his sex urged him further and further on.

"Hi… H-hi… Hiei!"

And white light exploded behind his eyelids.

1234

Three days of finals and nonstop studying take their toll on a person. Kuwabara felt like he hadn't slept more than five or six hours in the last 72, and he was probably right. College could sure as hell be demanding. He remembers getting home on the late afternoon of the third day feeling like he had just been run over by a bulldozer.

Yukina and Shizuru had taken one look at him before ushering him into his room with an irrefutable order to sleep until dinner which would be served in his room to be consumed promptly before he return to bed.

That night after his stomach was sated with a delicious bento, Kuwabara knew he was dreaming when the visions assaulted him.

The woods were quiet in the dying light.

Kuwabara had been walking through them on his way back from school taking in the pleasant weather and basking in the dying sun's rays. His school uniform of a plain button down white shirt and slacks was neatly disarrayed, the blouse untucked from his pants and the top three buttons undone. But when the path he normally took became blurred and unfamiliar, he found himself treading into youkai territory. The energies were all around him pulsing through the air like electricity. Even though they were leaving him be for the time being, night had fallen about thirty minutes ago, and it was way too quiet for his liking. Something had warned off the wildlife within the vicinity leaving the quiet.

Silence disturbed only by his footsteps as he trekked his way further in the direction of what he hoped was the city.

Rustle

A tree branch ricochets back into place after apparently being leapt from. Not two seconds later a sharp cracking noise sounded signaling the breaking of a twig or stick on the ground. A flash of light and a tree branch falls from directly above him forcing him to leap forward or be crushed to death.

The whistling of a blade as it cuts through the air is usually the last sound you hear when the sharp pitch slices the air right above your head. Kuwabara dives into the underbrush, rolling out of the motion to take off running through the thicket. His sense of direction skewed, the red-head ran blindly weaving his path around the sharp edges of the forest and whipping of tree branches, desperately trying to escape the lusting creature in hot pursuit on his heels. A high pitched whistle rings through the forest adding to the cacophony of noise in Kuwabara's ears.

Something hard, another body, rams into him from behind driving him forward before disappearing from back to flit ahead of him. He rises shakily to his feet trying to catch his breath and maybe a glimpse of his pursuer. A pair of sharp knees collides with his chest forcing him backward this time to lie flat on his back where he huffs winded from the impact.

"Ahh…"

A hand cuts off his cry when it roughly takes a hold of his jaw fixing his face into a rigid position as though he were looking up or above him. A hot breath flits across the skin of his jugular.

The human freezes at the contact.

"Mmmm," a tongue licks at main carotid artery running along the sides of his vocal cords. "I must say Kazuma, you are the most delicious prey I've ever hunted."

Just then a pair of razor sharp teeth closed around his neck.

He tried to struggle out of his assailant's grip to no avail. Blood had been drawn from his neck any further struggle and he could rip his own throat out on the demon's canines. Panic engulfed his senses. His heart started to race. A rising need to escape bellowed from the pit of his stomach. Time was rushing forward at an inconceivable pace.

But then, everything stopped when the demon started to drink from him.

Pleasure, blinding and pure, pulsed through his body in time with the flow of his blood. He could practically feel the chemicals in his body shift to accommodate this new sensation. A deep sense of peace and comfort soothed his nerved out of the burst of adrenaline being worked through his system. Fight or flight endorphins were being quickly replaced by sex hormones and the sensation of euphoria.

And just as quickly as it came, it receded as the demon above him withdrew, closing the wound with a flick of his tongue.

The ordeal left him gasping for more.

"You always love it whenever I've reestablished my mark on you. Don't you, my mate?

1234

Hiei's method of sneaking into Kuwabara's dreams at night had been a complete success the last two times he entered the human's mind. Kazuma's reaction to both dreams had been predictable. The boy woke up in a cold sweat, harder and more aroused than he had ever been in his entire life. This would be the third time Hiei snuck into the redhead's dreams to instigate his own little game. Needless to say, he couldn't wait to set into motion his latest fantasy.

Reaching the Kuwabara residence, Hiei slipped through the teen's window soundlessly to find his target already asleep. Perfect setup.

Jagan activated, the demon slipped inside the psychic's subconscious with practiced ease, but what lay in wait for him was unexpected. Kuwabara had already set a dream in motion. Not quite what Hiei had had in mind, but intriguing nonetheless.

And so Hiei followed Kazuma into what would be unbeknownst to both of them and enlightening "conversation".

"Hiei…"

"Hmm…"

"Why are you so alone?"

The demon sighed in response to the human boy's question. Sunlight filtered into their small clearing from behind a thin blanket of clouds casting a haze on the freshly doused plant-life around Genkai's temple. Through the mist, Kuwabara could see a black clad figure lounging with his eyes closed contently on a large rock silently soaking in daybreak's growing warmth. It was always quiet this early in the morning. Not a creature stirring save for the two males residing in the wildlife that seemed so much further than it actually was from civilization.

"Why do you ask such stupid questions?"

"It's not a stupid question."

"I say it is."

"Well, you're wrong."

Pale eyelids slid open lazily to alight crimson orbs upon the intruder to his privacy. Kuwabara stood up taller, stiffer in his proud, if not tired, stance. He didn't know what had compelled him to seek out the demon this early in the morning, but here he was standing in the middle of a clearing inquiring a question he knew the jaganshi would never answer unless under the pain of torture, even then chances were slim to none that he would actually provide an answer.

He waited a couple of minutes for Hiei to answer, and when no reply sounded, the human sighed and turned around to head home. What a waste of a morning trip.

"Never mind, then, I'll see you around."

He waved a hand nonchalantly through the air about to exit the lea.

"I am alone because it's safe."

He froze.

Hiei actually answered.

"When you place yourself in the presence of others, you open yourself to weak, worthless emotions: regret, disappointment, jealousy, betrayal, even longing to name a few."

Kuwabara turned around to walk in the direction of Hiei's perch. He took a seat to the left of the rock, his head even with Hiei's hip.

"But being alone hurts, too."

"And just what would you know about it?"

"…"

"I thought so…"

Hiei rose to his feet ready to sprint off and out of the presence of the nosy human, but Kuwabara grabbed his wrist giving him means to pause.

"It wasn't easy, you know, growing up being able to see things other people can't."

Hiei looked at him.

"People used to always call me a liar or a weirdo. A lot of people, kids and adults, avoided me because I gave them the creeps. I always ended up alone because of it."

"But you were just a mere child, completely incapable of causing harm."

Kuwabara chuckled under his breath.

"It's hard growing up not knowing what was 'real' and what wasn't. I would see something, ask what it was, and find out it didn't exist. They called me a liar and cast me aside. I kept myself isolated from everyone around me, even my own family. My parents worried about my behavior, but never addressed me about it."

"Hn, it's funny how human nature inspires them to deny anything they don't understand."

"It wasn't til I met my gang that I found people who could accept my unusual abilities. And then I met you guys. You, Yusuke, and Kurama… You actually understood my awareness and even gave me the tools with which to control it better. I don't feel alone anymore because of it."

Hiei just watched him.

"That's why I'm asking. Why do you always want to be alone?"

"Hn…"

Kuwabara just smiled as Hiei walked to the edge of the clearing where he paused.

"I never said I wanted to be alone."

1234

Kuwabara heaved a sigh of relief as he placed his pen down on the table in front of him and carefully closed the worn hand-woven pages of the book in front of him. His grandmother used to write in this book a long time ago. It had the names and drawing of apparitions in it along with sutras she would use to ward off spirits and demons. It had come in immense handy the last few years while Yusuke and the others had been gone in demon world, and now it was meeting its owner's needs again in the quiet of a restless night.

He couldn't sleep right anymore. Something was seriously screwed up with his subconscious. Onslaughts of images haunted his nights. Never ceasing to invoke one of three emotions: sheer terror, contemplative melancholy, or intense desire, it seemed as though the visions were trying to convey meaning to Kuwabara. They were the most frightening of nightmares, the most thoughtful of dreams, and the most erotic of fantasies.

They were everything in existence.

Night…

Endless nights of dreams, nightmares, and phantom conversations were taking a toll on Kuwabara. He felt ragged and malnourished. It was a chore to deny himself the sleep his body so desperately needed, but he tried anyway in vain to stay conscious during the darkest hours of the night. On the nights when he failed to stay up, he always found himself waking up with vivid images of forbidden passion burning into his irises and a strange mark on a different part of his body. The first time he saw it, it had been on his arm. It looked like a burn mark in the shape of a black flame, but it didn't hurt at all. It didn't even itch.

And it would move, too. The next day he found it resting on his ankle. He had no idea what the mark was doing there, or what it represented, but it always reminded him about the consistently present individual starring in all of his visions.

Hiei… Oh gods, the demon was going to kill him if he ever found out about his dreams.

That danger alone was enough to make anyone not want to sleep at night. With Hiei's Jagan all he would have to do is look at Kuwabara while he slept to gain access to the forbidden knowledge, but Kuwabara found a fairly simple way to keep his dreams to himself.

He started writing them down in a journal. The dreams, that is. Ever since the conclusion of Urameshi's latest case, Kuwabara had been documenting his dreams night after night after night. He'd made it a habit of writing down all of his dreams in the early morning right after he had woken up in an old inconspicuous journal, which he then sealed with a simple sutra to ward off demons. He wasn't initially sure that it worked, but one afternoon at the ramen stand, Kurama had gone through his backpack and gotten a rather nasty burn from only brushing the back of his hand against the binding. After apologizing profusely and treating the burn, he managed to get Kurama to keep it a secret passing it off as an heirloom he acquired from his late grandmother.

By writing his dreams down in the protected book, his thoughts would remain his own no matter who or what managed to get in his head. The seal protecting the book also protected the content inside the book. Power thoughts, sutras, dreams, anything written in that book was protected from the prying eyes of youkai. A really neat trick if you asked Kazuma. Now if only he could find a sutra that would ward off teachers and nosy principles. They had a habit of looking over his shoulder constantly in class just to check and make sure he was actually doing his work. (You would think that after three years of having one of the higher GPA's in the class they would realize he'd changed for good, but no).

He needed sleep though. He had finals coming up, and there was no way he would do well functioning on the little amount of sleep he had gotten the last week. He had a lot of studying to do and didn't have time to be worrying about dream Hiei coming after him at night for god only knows what next.

Ready for bed, Kuwabara set himself comfortably on his mattress in a traditional meditative position. Drawing in spirit energy out and into the air around him, he visualized the energy forming a protective cocoon around his mind. A safety net design to ward off any and all types of dreams and a barrier made to keep invading energies out that might disturb the balance of his chakras.

With a deep breath, Kazuma laid himself down to sleep praying to any god who would listen for a night free of visions. Unknown to Kuwabara, Yukina had already looked into finding the redhead some aid in his quest for a goodnight's sleep.

1234

When Hiei came in later that night, he found Yukina waiting for him at Kuwabara's bedroom door. The koorime looked at him with worried, tired eyes.

"What did you call me here about?"

"Kazuma's placed a ward around himself for the night; you might want to refrain from getting too close."

"Do you know why?"

She shook her head.

"He hasn't been getting much sleep lately. He's had a lot of schoolwork to worry about these last few days, and I don't think he's been sleeping well."

Hiei looked to the sleeping human a moment. An almost unnoticeable twitch in his eyebrow was all that signified his annoyance at his fool of a human. Honestly, only a ningen would go through the trouble of avoiding dreams by not sleeping.

"I think I can offer some assistance."

"Arigato, Hiei-san," she said with a quick bow before leaving him to carry about his business.

The jaganshi listened to his sister's retreating footsteps carefully before gliding over to Kuwabara's desk and taking a seat. The cat scurried out from under his feet with a soft mew to hop up onto her owner's bed where she curled up to sleep beside the slumbering human. The two made quite a calming picture.

And Hiei decided he was content to simply watch them sleep for the night.

He would leave before dawn as if he had never been there.

"Be ready, Kazuma. Your dreams will be mine again soon, but for now sleep."

TBC

Sorry it took so long for this update. Between school and everything else, I have no time to write. Hope you enjoyed it. Please Review.


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